RHS honors Greg StandridgeTHE COURIER / Kevin Hobby Arkansas State Sen. Greg Standridge, who is an alumni of Russellville High School, was honored at halftime of the Russellville Cyclones victory over the Rogers Heritage War Eagles. Standridge graduated from Arkansas Tech University in 1987 an has been active in helping improve the Russellville School District and community.

Warriors dominate SubiacoSUBIACO -- The Lamar Warriors pounded the Subiaco Trojans 42-0 on Friday. The Trojans opened the game with a snap sailing over the kicker's head for a safety with 9:14 left in the first quarter. Following that, Lamar quarterback Hunter Davenport hit Zac Dillard for a 55-yard touchdown with 6:34 left in the first quarter. Davenport later hit Zedrick Lee for a 22-yard touchdown pass to make it 13-0. Lee scored with 10:02 left in the half on a 1-...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
sports@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Pottsville tennis takes on Baptist PrepLITTLE ROCK -- The Pottsville tennis team traveled to Rebsamen Park to face Baptist Prep on Tuesday and won five out of eight matches. "We have been playing on the road conastantly, and I have got to hand it to my kids, they are fighting fatigue and still finding ways to win matches," Pottsville head coach Keri McAlister said. "The girls singles and boys doubles are undefeated." Pottsville will travel on Tuesday to face Shiloh Christain and Pr...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
sports@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Cyclones look for 2nd winIt won't be the same Rogers Heritage War Eagles at Cyclone Stadium on Friday -- the one the Russellville Cyclones beat 17-0 in 2015. Heritage comes with a new coach and new challenges for Russellville. "They've got a new staff," Cyclones head coach Billy Dawson said. "Tony Davis comes in there from Pea Ridge, so they're completely different offensively. They like to line up and pound you, then spread it out and bombs away. This year, they are ...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
sports@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Whirlwinds fall to NLR, 38-13The Russellville Whirlwinds put together a pair of scoring drives in the fourth quarter, but it wasn't enough as the Whirlwinds fell 38-13 on Thursday at Cyclone Stadium. Russellville (0-2) scored on a 6-yard pass from T.J. Holt to Grant Smith to pull within 30-6 with 7:49 left in the game. The touchdown capped a seven-play drive that included three rushes by Cole Hathcote for 21 yards. Holt connected with Rhett Roberson for a gain of 22, foll...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
sports@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Sand Lizards learning from Charleston, prepare for ParisDARDANELLE -- Sand Lizards head coach Phil Vega is proud of his players for sticking with the Charleston Tigers after digging an early hole on Friday. Dardanelle (0-1) pulled within five points late in the second half, but ultimately fell 36-23. "From a coaches' standpoint, we were very proud how they fought back into it," Vega said. "There were multiple times they could have hung their head or tucked their tails, but we gave them every ounce ...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
sports@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Pirates sweep at Galla CreekPOTTSVILLE -- The Dover Pirates and Lady Pirates golf teams defeated Pottsville, Dardanelle, Clarksville and Atkins at Galla Creek on Tuesday. The Pirates won with a team score of 119, followed by the Apaches with 121. The Sand Lizards combined for a score of 131. The Panthers scored 136. The Lady Pirates won with a team score of 153. The Lady Sand Lizards took second with 175. Clarksville scored third with a score of 176. Individual results M...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
sports@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

The Russellville Jr. Lady Whirlwinds defeat Cabot RedThe Russellville Junior High Lady Whirlwinds defeated Cabot Red 25-8, 26-24 on Tuesday. Leading scorers were Gracie Black with eight points and three aces. Hannah Vines had one point, three aces and three kills. Cindy Gonzalez had three points, an ace and three kills. Gracie Wells had a point, three aces, four kills and one block. Olivia Barnes had five points, an ace and a kill. Gracie Palmer had four points. Katie Duran had a kill. Martha Ac...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
sports@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Finally Friday night football!THE COURIER / Joshua Mashon Russellville's 14-11 victory over the Morrilton Devil Dogs on Friday at Cyclones Stadium marked only the fourth time in Russellville football history, consisting of almost 1,100 games, in which a team ended with an 11-point total. The other three games with such an outcome were 1910's Morrilton victory (11-8), 1936's RHS victory over Clarksville (11-7) and 1974's Southside win (11-10).

Lady Cyclones overtake AlmaALMA -- The Russellville Lady Cyclones volleyball team rallied past the Alma Airedalettes on Thursday. Russellville slipped behind two games, but battled back to win the match 19-25, 19-25, 25-16, 25-22, 15-13. "That shows you how competitive we are," Lady Cyclones head coach Cindy Jones said. "We refused to quit. We were down 8-4 in the fifth set and came back. It was a crazy match, and I loved it." Bailey Wilbers had 17 kills and 20 assists....

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
sports@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Pirates hold off Red Devils 22-14 in Rivals CupATKINS -- One year ago, the Dover Pirates hosted the Red Devils and showed no mercy with a 57-7 rout. A year later, Atkins hosted Dover in an emotional atmosphere for both teams and communities who remembered Dawson McAlister with a game that went down to the final minutes -- just the way the Rivals Cup should be. The Red Devils led 8-6 and were driving as time expired, but the Pirates came away with a 22-14 victory for their third straight Ri...

Pirates hold off Red Devils 22-14ATKINS -- One year ago, the Dover Pirates hosted the Red Devils and showed no mercy with a 57-7 rout. A year later, Atkins hosted Dover in an emotional atmosphere for both teams and communities who remembered Dawson McAlister with a game that went down to the final minutes -- just the way the Rivals Cup should be. The Red Devils led 8-6 and were driving as time expired, but the Pirates came away with a 22-14 victory for their third straight Ri...

Defense provides lift in Cyclones victoryDefense, defense, defense. It was appropriate that Layton Bicanovsky and Jacob Reed got back-to-back sacks to secure the Russellville Cyclones' 14-11 victory over the Morrilton Devil Dogs on Friday at Cyclone Stadium. After all, the Cyclones defense was nearly unstoppable for the majority of the evening. Where the Russellville offense struggled, the defense rose to the occasion. "They [defense] played awesome," Russellville head coach Billy Da...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
sports@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Wildcats get first victoryHECTOR -- Wildcats head coach Kyle Russell wasn't disappointed in his team's 39-8 season opening win over the Marshall Bobcats on Friday at Linton Field, but he wasn't exactly pleased either. "We didn't play well that first half," he said. "We were really slow. We were trying to force a whole lot of things, and we had a couple of turnovers early." Hector quarterback Tanner Gaines pitched two interceptions -- one which bounced off the receiver'...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
sports@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Clarksville claims Battle For 64CLARKSVILLE -- The Clarksville Panthers defeated the Lamar Warriors 24-19 to claim a lot of firsts. It was the first win under first-year head coach Khris Buckner and the first time the Panthers were able to take home the Battle For 64 trophy since the event made a comeback two years ago. "Clarksville was a lot better than it's been in the past," Lamar head coach Josh Jones said. "They went to a ground and pound offense, and we only snapped th...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
sports@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Atkins, Dover square off for Rivals CupATKINS -- The 43rd annual Rivals Cup is on the line tonight at Sorrels Stadium at Lemley Field as the Atkins Red Devils host the Dover Pirates in the season opener for both teams. Dover has won the Rivals Cup two years in a row but has only beaten Atkins nine times since 1975. Dover won 47-7 in 2015 and 51-20 in 2014. Atkins leads the series 33-9 and 8-4 since the Rivals Cup was initiated in the 1990s. For the Red Devils, today's game is about...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
sports@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley